Friday, June 28, 2013

Book Review: The Secret Keeper

It's been awhile since I blogged regularly, nevermind posted a book review. Life has been busy, and I have been lazy relaxing and enjoying lounging around my apartment, hanging out in coffee shops, and sipping beer. In the midst of all this relaxation, I finished a book that I started reading back in October.

The Secret Keeper, by Kate Morton was not a book I always wanted to finish. Although Morton was, and still is, one of my favorite writers, the beginning of this book was unbearably sad. She starts the novel with a memory from our main character, Laurel. When she was 16 years old, Laurel witnessed her mother murder a man. No one has spoken of this incident since it happened. Now, her mother is dying, and this story follows Laurel's journey to find out the truth.

Morton is a master at dividing narratives and at connecting multiple storylines. Although we watch as Laurel searches for clues into her family mystery, we also see portions of this story through the eyes of various characters, some who we know, and some who we think we do. The novel is written so that the detectives among us might be able to figure out the end result, but that readers who choose not to think about it can still be surprised. I figured out most of the story by the end, but was still shocked by the final twist.

I am so, so glad that I continued to read this novel. It took me months to feel ready to continue, and I wish I would have done it sooner. You cannot go wrong with author, and this is her best work.